#zenclay

Should you ever find yourself in Morgantown, West Virginia - be sure to stop by the Zenclay Cafe! It's a wonderful little tea shop with great service, amazing brews, freshly made organic eats, and one of a kind, quality ceramics. Downstairs it's a ceramic studio, upstairs it's a tea shop!

Betsy Cox's solo show is up at ZEN CLAY Gallery in Morgantown thru September 27. She generously shares with LFF about her artistic process, her series at Zen Clay, advice for aspiring artists and more...

Tell me about your background.

I was born in Glen Dale, WV and have remained here all my life. We live on the land that was my families homestead. My grandfather settled here from Austria. It is on this land that nature and all its wonder shaped my life and art. How did you get into art? My parents were into art and it was from them that I was exposed. Mom did leather tooling works and dad loved making mosaics of all types. Their descendants from England and Austria were artisans. So I have created art all my years. In 1995 I turned to my lifelong love of playing in mud.

"Chicken Pox," Ceramic and wood, by Betsy Cox

Tell me about your work.

I create my work using many ways with clay. Whatever style is conducive to the results and feelings of the piece. I hand build and throw on the wheel. The methods of firing also play into the desired results. I rely on feelings, nature and my life as inspiration for my pieces.

"The Loner" Ceramic, wood and stone, by Betsy Cox

Does feminism play a role in your work? I guess to and extent. I feature a lot of female figures . Also I do not let "The Boys " of the art world get me down.

"Time In A Bottle," Ceramic, glass , metal and wood, Betsy Cox

Tell me about your work at Zen Clay. These works are from my solo exhibition entitled, "Reliquaries to Roosters, Ravens and Rogues." These pieces came about when I was struggling thru my husband’s illness over a 4-month period. The roosters have always been a great part of my life. We always had chickens growing up. I have memories of my Pap’s chickens chasing me and me chasing them for Sunday Supper. The Ravens came to me when my husband was ill. They followed me, dropped feathers and cawed from my studio roof on a daily basis and still do. They have become a very dominant influence to me. The rogue part is by way of me. I do things my way no matter the outcome or what others say. These works all contain memories and bites and pieces from my life now and in the past.

"The Fat White Hen,"  Ceramic, wood and metal, Betsy Cox

ZenClay is one of the few coffeeshops in Morgantown. I had to meet my professor for office hours here, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone - have a review of this restaurant, too, while meeting with my professor. I had been here only once before, so I was looking forward to what else they had to offer.

Located along University Avenue, closer toward the Evansdale Campus, ZenClay is not only a cafe, but it's also a studio and gallery. The middle floor is the restaurant portion, and you can access it via the door on the side of building. Parking is available right there or across the street, and there's usually plenty of space.

When you walk in, you know it's an art gallery. The interior is decorated with sculptures and paintings and other art in a really clean and sophisticated way. After going through a second set of doors, the counter where you order is right there. Small paper menus are available, but I had already perused their website, so I had a good idea of what I wanted. I chose the Ananda sandwich - a panko-breaded eggplant, organic greens, cucumber, tomato, muenster cheese, and honey mustard on a sourdough bread. It came with a side of their sweet chili slaw and chips. I also grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler. I paid for my meal and found my professor where we began chatting.

Soon enough, a plate was delivered with my sandwich and sides. The chips were dark blue tortillas, tasted like a regular tortilla chip. The slaw was not my favorite - it was runny, and the sauce wasn't too tasty to me. It just didn't have that little creamy kick; it was more like not-quite-the-mark slimy. The sandwich looked delicious though. I bit into it and caught the distinct taste of a picked cucumber. It was quite potent and kind of took over the flavor. I then tasted the crumbly eggplant, which was fantastic. I wanted more of that eggplant, but the other flavors fell to the wayside in the presence of that honey mustard.

Honey mustard comes in a variety of forms, and some are great and some are not so much. This was the latter. I couldn't put my finger (or tastebud) on what it was that made it so strong, but it tasted like horseradish. It was too strong, and it, along with the pickled cucumber, took over the flavors of everything else. I really wish I could have gotten a taste for those other flavors, because I'm sure they were fantastic. But the sandwich didn't let them sing.

For under $10, though, it was something different. And it's really a cool environment because of the local art. It's pleasant to eat local food among local art because you can get a true feeling for Morgantown - not just the college scene. It's a place to check out, and next time, I want to see the other floors.